My name is Hannah O'Connor, and I'm a social work major at UNH.
I was looking at multiple different universities across the nation, but I realized that UNH really had everything to offer, and it was close to home and a less expensive option for me. So I was able to combine my passion for working with older adults with my passion for human behavior and to help people in general, and that all came together.
You're surrounded by incredible people in the social work major and in the clients that you're working with during your internship. Also, the friends that I've made throughout my experience in the major are lifelong friends. I still talk to all of them today, from my undergrad through grad school and then also the professors. You can tell that they're there because they're passionate about the work and so that's been really inspiring for me as well.
My internship is at Riverwoods, Durham, which is a continuing care retirement community in Durham, New Hampshire.
Here at Riverwoods I'm an intern in social services and I think there's no better way to get the real world experience than going straight into the internship. It's really like having two separate job experiences before you go into the professional world and have that career for yourself, so it sets the stage really well.
From when I first started at Riverwoods to now the evolution within myself has really been about figuring out that this is is what I want to do for the rest of my life.
Being here has really solidified that for me. I've been able to not only explore my own passions, like LGBTQ-plus rights here at Riverwoods, brain health, things of that nature, but also I've been able to speak with the residents and learn what they're interested and tie that all together, and then do some groups, some one-on one-on-one work here that has showed me that this is what I'm passionate about and that this is what I'm good at, and so for that reason it's it's what I want to do for my career.
Where I see myself going as a result of this internship experience- I would love to be a long-term care social worker or a social worker in a retirement community such as this. I think being here has really solidified my passion for that. I've really really enjoyed my experience so that's where I'm that's where I'm heading.
